Global startup accelerator, ZEBOX, inaugurated its UK hub in Manchester, furthering its mission to nurture sustainable innovations. Located on Portland Street, Manchester, the hub was officially launched by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. ZEBOX, founded in 2018 by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, a global leader in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions, now operates six innovation hubs worldwide.
This UK hub will drive decarbonization and operational optimization, with a primary focus on technological advancements in the supply chain industry, particularly artificial intelligence. It joins ZEBOX’s Marseille headquarters in France, and other hubs in the Caribbean (Guadeloupe), Ivory Coast, the USA, and the Asia-Pacific region (Singapore). Globally, the initiative has collaborated with over 250 startups and 20 corporate leaders, fostering more than 340 collaborations.
The Manchester hub will offer crucial support to promising startups in the UK and Northern Europe, connecting them with corporate partners within ZEBOX’s global community. This collaboration will facilitate the testing of innovative solutions and address business and sustainability challenges within the supply chain and logistics sector. Corporate partners will gain valuable insights from working with startups, enabling them to address specific business issues and engage in de-risked proof of concepts.
ZEBOX UK will provide entrepreneurs with mentoring and funding opportunities, aiming to co-develop startups that offer groundbreaking solutions in four key areas: operational efficiency, asset optimization and decarbonization, workflow automation, and the future of work.
The inaugural ZEBOX UK cohort comprises ten startups specializing in fields like AI, machine learning, quantum computing, and decarbonization.
Manchester, a thriving tech hub in the UK, has attracted significant investments and demonstrated remarkable business growth, outperforming many larger European cities. The city-region’s dynamic and fast-growing startup ecosystem has also witnessed record levels of funding in recent years.
Manchester is committed to sustainability and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2038, a goal set 12 years ahead of the UK’s overall target.
Martin Bremner, MD at ZEBOX UK, emphasized the accelerator’s mission to connect startups’ innovative spirit with the global impact of corporate leaders, fostering growth and collaborative solutions to address global challenges. ZEBOX and CMA CGM anticipate building a premier innovation hub for supply chain and logistics in the United Kingdom.
Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, commended ZEBOX’s choice of Manchester as the UK hub location, highlighting the city’s track record in innovation and sustainability, with the expectation that the work done here will contribute to decarbonization and job creation.
Joe Manning, Managing Director at MIDAS, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency, hailed this investment from ZEBOX UK as a valuable addition to the region’s vibrant business landscape, reinforcing Manchester’s strengths in sustainability, logistics, and technology.